This invention relates generally to devices used to remove snow from vehicles. More particularly, this invention pertains to an apparatus that is configured and arranged to remove accretions of snow from difficult to reach areas of motor vehicles.
In areas that experience winter conditions where temperatures fall below freezing, is not uncommon for snow and frost to accumulate on windows and upwardly facing surfaces of vehicles that are not in some way sheltered from the weather. This can be problematic, because in order to operate a vehicle safe and legal manner, the snow and frost have to be removed. Accumulations of snow can often be removed by using one""s appendages, but this method of snow removal is not particularly efficient, nor is it pleasant especially if one is not properly dressed for the occasion. Frost, on the other hand, is not easily removed by hand, and this has led to the development of specialized devices that are designed to scrape frost from window surfaces (See, for example, U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. D345,640 issued to Galati, Mar. 29, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. D378,322, issued to Young, Mar. 11, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 2,639,454, issued to Dory, May 26, 1953; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,255, issued to Kim, Jul. 25, 2000).
The scrapers of these devices are usually oriented transversely to the body of the device and configured to engage a window surface as the device is moved in sliding contact therealong. Since snow is often associated with frost, these aforementioned devices are often equipped with a snow removal tool such as a brush, to make the device multifunctional. Usually the brush is substantially larger than the scraper so that it may quickly sweep accumulations of snow from a vehicle. Because of the inherently different uses, the scraper and brush are usually positioned so that only one or the other may be used at any one time. Note that the scraper and brush may be located at one end (in opposing relation) or at opposite ends.
In such abovementioned areas, snow often accumulates on the ground and it is also not uncommon for vehicles, upon encountering such accumulations, to experience loss of traction or become stuck. This has led to the development of other devices that are designed to remove snow from around and/or beneath vehicles (See, for example, U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,768, issued to Ewen, Feb. 19, 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,027, issued to Dionne et al., Jan. 23, 1996). These aforementioned devices are designed to be multifunctional and may be used as shovels, traction mats, and signaling devices. Thus, these devices are robustly constructed and sized so that they are able to excavate snow and are capable of supporting the weight of a vehicle as it is driven thereupon.
In these aforementioned areas it is also not uncommon for snow to form accretions on a vehicle. That is, snow is picked-up in the treads of tires and flung, by centrifugal force, onto the interior surfaces of wheel wells and other adjacent undersurfaces of a vehicle. This snow often is a mixture of water, snow, road salts, sand, and other debris. The problem is that when a vehicle is moved into a sheltered area, such as a warm garage, the accretions start to melt. And as they melt, they fall onto the floor of the shelter. As the accretion melts further, the liquefied portion starts to spread out along the floor seeking its own level and this leaves a mess. When the liquefied portion later evaporates, road salts come out of solution and form crystalline deposits on the floor of the shelter. Heavier particles such as sand and dirt tend to drop out of solution early on and do not usually form such concentrations, but nonetheless form deposits.
The problem is that these salts and sands need to be removed because they are detrimental to the floor surface. That is, they can damage the floor surface physically and chemically, and may get introduced into cracks that can lead to additional, internal damage. Moreover, they are generally unsightly. Alternatively, the accretions may only melt enough so that they simply fall to the floor of a shelter, and the floor is cold enough to enable the accretions to freeze thereon. In this situation, the accretions need to be removed because they interfere with the normal operation of the vehicle as it moves into and out of the shelter, and they are also generally unsightly.
Additionally, not all of the snow accretions are able to freely fall away from the vehicle. That is, some of the accretions fall or flow along vehicle surfaces into internal areas that are inaccessible. When this happens, the salts and sand may accumulate in these inaccessible areas where they are periodically re-wetted by additional fluids and liquefied accretion material. This can form highly corrosive environments that oxidize metals at an accelerated rate, and this can easily lead to premature rust-through. Manufactures have attempted to alleviate this problem by providing wheel well liners of rust-resistant materials. These have helped to mitigate the problem of rust-through, though they have not eliminated it completely.
Another problem associated with wheel well accretions it that they may become dislodged while the vehicle is in motion. When this occurs, the accretion falls to the roadbed and into the path of trailing or oncoming traffic. As one may expect, this presents a dangerous situation because an impact with a sufficiently large accretion may cause damage to a vehicle, and avoidance maneuvers may cause the driver of the vehicle to lose control and have an accident.
Yet another problem associated with wheel well accretions is that they may accumulate to such a degree that they interfere with the normal operation of the vehicle, such as turning.
While the abovementioned snow and frost removal devices address the problems of snow and frost accumulating on and about a vehicle, they do not address the problem of snow accretions forming on vehicles, nor would they be suitable for use as wheel well scrapers.
There is a need for a device that is able to remove accretions of snow and other material from hard to reach locations of vehicles. There is also a need for a device that can be used on a variety of differently contoured surfaces. And there is also a need for a device that is lightweight and easily manipulated.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a lightweight, maneuverable, apparatus having a plurality of working edges that are arranged and configured to remove accretions of material that accumulate in areas that are relatively difficult to access, namely wheel wells. The apparatus comprises three main parts, an elongated body, a first end, and a second end.
The elongated body is a somewhat slender shaft that is configured to be grasped and used as a handle. Thus, it will be appreciated that the body is configured to permit maximum efficient use of the first and second ends when the apparatus is being manipulated by a user. The body is in the range of one to four feet in length, but it is understood that other lengths may be used. Preferably, the shaft is hollow along its longitudinal extent to reduce the weight of the body and permit the apparatus to be more easily wielded by the user.
Generally, the first end of the apparatus is laterally flared and angled with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body and terminates in a working edge. More specifically, the first end comprises an extension that is laterally flared and angled with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body. This extension is provided with sidewalls and a rib that are arranged and configured to maintain the extension at a predetermined angle. Preferably, the predetermined angle is in the range of around sixty to eighty-five degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body. The extension projects beyond the plane of the elongated body a distance sufficient to allow the working edge of the extension to be able to slidingly contact the interior surface(s) of the wheel well as it moves thereacross. As will be appreciated, the working edge is symmetrically arranged relative to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body to enable the apparatus to be worked from different directions with equal facility.
The second end of the apparatus is generally in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the elongated body and comprises a wall that also terminates in a working edge. More particularly, the second end comprises a curved wall that extends from the elongated body in a generally collateral direction and has a working edge that is oriented on a bias with respect to the wall. The wall and its working edge are shaped so that the working edge of the second end is able to slidingly contact the inner surfaces of a wheel well as it moves therealong. As will be appreciated, the particular wall configuration of the apparatus will depend upon the particular surfaces to be cleaned. And, while a curved wall is desirable so that it may be used on a variety of surfaces, it is understood that other wall configurations are possible.
In use, the first end may be used to scrape accretions from the interior of a wheel well by pushing and/or pulling the apparatus transversely across the surface being cleaned. The first end may also be used as a pry-bar or lever to separate accretions from the wheel well surfaces, using the curved transition areas between the extension and the elongated body as pivots for the inner and outer surfaces. The apparatus may also be turned over so that the sidewall edges and the rib edge may be used to fracture or chip away larger accretions using a hammer-like motion.
Both the inner and outer surfaces of the second end may be used to scrape accretions from the interior of a wheel well by selectively turning the apparatus over and pushing the working edge along the surface being cleaned. The second end may also be used to remove accretions in a pushing and twisting motion, similar to removing cores from a larger mass of material. It will be appreciated that the aforementioned methods of use are merely some of the possible different motions that are possible using the apparatus.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that may be used to remove accretions of material from difficult to access areas of vehicles.
Another object of the invention to prevent accretions of snow from being transported into enclosures such as garages.
A feature of the present invention is that it is lightweight and easily manipulated.
Another feature of the invention is that it has two differently configured ends that have differently configured working edges.
Yet another feature of the invention is that accretions of snow may be dislodged from a vehicle by using pushing, levering, hammering, and twisting motions. Still another feature of the present invention is that the working edges at the ends are symmetrically shaped.
An advantage of the present invention is that the symmetrically shaped working edges allow the apparatus to be maneuvered into position from opposing directions.